Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madison, WI and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $2,972 in Madison, WI, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

144

Cost of Living Index in Madison, WI
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Madison, WI Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Madison, WI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,972

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Madison, WI and in Lisbon

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Madison, WI and in Lisbon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,972 in Madison, WI versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Madison, WI $2,972
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,286 in Madison, WI versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Madison, WI $4,286
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,600 in Madison, WI versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Madison, WI $5,600
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Madison, WI is roughly 34% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Madison, WI 118% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.66 $19.66

$16.65 €14.92

18.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.0 $68.0

$61.7 €55.3

10.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.89 $12.89

$11.36 €10.18

13.47%

Cappuccino

$5.77 $5.77

$2.97 €2.66

94.28%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 $3.10

$2.29 €2.05

35.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 $2.52

$1.74 €1.56

44.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.14 $7.14

$3.40 €3.05

110.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.85 $7.85

$3.31 €2.97

137.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.16 €1.04

-15.52%

White Bread (500g)

$3.52 $3.52

$1.91 €1.71

84.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.27 $4.27

$1.51 €1.36

182.78%

Eggs

$3.71 $3.71

$4.02 €3.60

-7.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.06 $15.06

$12.94 €11.59

16.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.03 $13.03

$7.77 €6.97

67.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.45 $20.45

$17.76 €15.92

15.15%

Apples (1kg)

$4.77 $4.77

$2.30 €2.06

107.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.73 €1.55

-8.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.14 $5.14

$1.86 €1.66

176.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.96 $4.96

$2.59 €2.32

91.51%

Potato (1kg)

$2.89 $2.89

$1.82 €1.63

58.79%

Onion (1kg)

$3.12 $3.12

$1.97 €1.76

58.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.07 $2.07

$1.47 €1.32

40.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.46 $2.46

$0.72 €0.65

241.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.96 $10.96

$6.58 €5.90

66.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.40 $15.40

$5.61 €5.02

174.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.77 $2.77

$1.36 €1.22

103.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 $4.43

$2.14 €1.91

107.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.94 $1.94

$2.33 €2.09

-16.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.2 $66.2

$44.68 €40.04

48.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.10 $4.10

$3.85 €3.45

6.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.07 €0.96

84.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$43.65 $43.65

$16.46 €14.75

165.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$2.20 €1.97

-52.27%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$30.1K $30.1K

$34.2K €30.6K

-11.89%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$25.3K $25.3K

$38.7K €34.7K

-34.71%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$269 $269

$161 €144

67.00%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$52.8 $52.8

$18.41 €16.50

187.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$81.5 $81.5

$32.74 €29.34

149.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.2 $54.2

$44.55 €39.92

21.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.52 $10.52

$19.10 €17.11

-44.92%

Cinema Ticket

$14.80 $14.80

$9.60 €8.60

54.17%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,621 $1,621

$668 €598

142.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.5K $23.5K

$17.6K €15.8K

33.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.0 $65.0

$102 €91.4

-36.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.5 $50.5

$44.46 €39.85

13.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 $106

$98.5 €88.3

7.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 $123

$124 €111

-0.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,807 $1,807

$1,608 €1,441

12.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,469 $1,469

$1,190 €1,066

23.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,184 $3,184

$2,812 €2,520

13.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,432 $2,432

$2,013 €1,804

20.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,596 $4,596

$7,839 €7,025

-41.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,418 $2,418

$4,576 €4,100

-47.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,521 $4,521

$1,575 €1,411

187.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.69

3.85

73.77%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Madison, WI: October 25, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Madison, WI

$1.5K 49.4%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 19% $279

Groceries & Markets

Madison, WI

$433 14.6%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 37.2% $161

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Madison, WI

$404 13.6%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 47.4% $191

Eating Out

Madison, WI

$339 11.4%

Lisbon

$243 11% 28.4% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Madison, WI

$155 5.2%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 7% $11

Getting Around

Madison, WI

$88 3%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 28.1% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Madison, WI

$84 2.8%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 24% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,807 in Madison, WI and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Madison, WI pays about 2.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $68 in Madison, WI vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $433 vs $272 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Madison, WI

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

03:20 3:20 AM

09:20 9:20 AM

6 h ahead of Madison, WI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

248,951

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Madison, WI Lisbon 6,500 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Madison, WI
Lisbon

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Madison, WI vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,972 in Madison, WI and $2,210 in Lisbon, so Lisbon is about 26% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Madison, WI is about 2.9 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,807 in Madison, WI versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,621 in Madison, WI versus $668 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 59% higher in Madison, WI. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Madison, WI and Lisbon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Lisbon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 26% less than in Madison, WI. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.